Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
by Jmaka
Summary: A stand alone prequel to Bad Santa. Lorelai comes up with the perfect way to get Luke to the Stars Hollow Halloween party.


Anybody mind if I post this even though it's a Halloween story? It's for Sunnyland. She originally requested it during her review of Bad Santa and this is sort of a prequel to that story. You don't have to read that story again unless you want to.

Lukey—the auction story is coming along, I didn't forget about you! And cookies will be turning up too.

Reviews if you feel like it!

Elvira Mistress of the Dark

Luke tiredly made his rounds with the coffee pot. The diner was packed and the breakfast rush seemed to be lasting longer than usual. As he flitted from table to table, he couldn't help but overhear snatches of conversations and they were all about the same thing: the annual Halloween party.

He rolled his eyes in derision at the townies' overly-ambitious plans regarding their costumes and how this year's party would be something really special. It never ceased to amaze him how basically the same party year after year could inspire such enthusiasm. That, in turn, made him think about Lorelai. Though she consistently demonstrated the same rabid enthusiasm, he didn't feel the same disdain that he did with the rest of the town.

Just then the door opened and Lorelai walked in and sat at the counter. "Hey, big boy," she said flirtatiously as she tilted her head up expectantly.

He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. He wasn't big on public displays of affection, particularly when gossip central was in attendance. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Miss Patty nudge Babette and gesture towards them. He took a step back quickly and jerked his head towards the Hello Magazine table in explanation as Lorelai smirked at him, enjoying seeing him flustered. It seemed like the townies still considered them front page news even though they had been married for a several months.

"Busy this morning," Lorelai commented.

Luke poured out her coffee. "Yeah, everyone is talking about this stupid party coming up."

"It's not stupid," Lorelai disagreed. "It'll be fun. I'm still hoping to convince you to go! I have a great costume and I know I can come up with one for you."

Luke snorted, "Fat chance."

"We-ell," Lorelai dragged out the word. "It's either go to the party or pass out candy. I won't be able to give out candy the entire evening. I need time to get ready."

"Why do we have to pass out candy at all?"

"Luke!" Lorelai remonstrated. "This is the kids' one time during the year where it's okay for them to be a little crazy…"

"Hopped up on sugar, running around, screaming like banshees…"

"…and it would be cruel to deprive them of it," Lorelai finished. She gave him a choice. "The only way you can get out of it is if you got to the party. And if you go to the party you have to wear a costume," she warned. "That is non-negotiable."

"You know I don't do town events."

"Fine, then," she said decisively. "Candy it is."

Luke glowered at her, knowing he was stuck and not liking it one bit. Marriage was about compromise he'd learned. And compromise he did, but he didn't care. Their relationship, being married, hell just having her in his life far outweighed the occasionally silly things he had to do. However he had to maintain his grumpy attitude so Lorelai wouldn't have the upper hand too easily. "Candy it is," he conceded with a defeatist growl.

~#~

"Trick or Treat!" came the chorus from outside.

"Oooh," Lorelai rushed to the door and flung it open. "The Banyan boys!" she exclaimed, noting the Frankenstein and Dracula costumes. "Aren't you guys just the cutest little monsters?" She tossed a handful of candy in each of their extended pillowcases, noting the sizeable haul they'd both already accumulated. "Nice stash," she said approvingly.

As they scampered down the steps, Lorelai noticed Lane and Zach approaching with their boys in their twin stroller. "The Banyan boys went as themselves this year," she commented once she knew they were out of earshot.

"True, they are monsters every day but the vampire thing is kind of in now," Lane pointed out. She bent over to take Steve out of the stroller.

Lorelai quickly went down the steps so they wouldn't have to carry either the boys or the stroller up to reach the front door. She stared at the twins and let out a good laugh. "Great costumes! Luke," she called. "Come out here! You gotta see this!"

Luke appeared in the doorway and squinted down at the group at the bottom of the steps. He saw Lane set each twin on his feet to fully display their costumes. He had to admit he was having a hard time figuring out what they were supposed to be.

Both boys were dressed in a yellow, one piece outfits, each with a wide red belt with a matching hat that, in Luke's opinion, looked like an inverted collapsible cup. Impossibly, each boy was wearing what looked like mini pairs of safety glasses. Both Lane and Zach were similarly dressed in the adult versions of the same costumes. Lorelai was cooing over them excitedly, complimenting Lane.

"How did you get them past your mother dressed like this?" Lorelai wondered.

Zach smirked at her. "We went to her house first, dressed in layers, got our soy cookies then stripped down and accessorized once we were away from the house."

"Ah, another generation of double dressing," Lorelai nodded sagely.

"It seems right to carry on the tradition," Lane put in.

"What in the heck are they supposed to be?" Luke demanded.

"You don't know?" Lorelai said, aghast. "Are they not men?" she quoted gesturing to the group. "They are Devo!"

"Ah, jeez," Luke rolled his eyes.

"We'll make a quick pit stop to change them out of their costumes before we take them back to Mama's house for the night," Lane added.

"You guys are playing at Miss Patty's, right?" Lorelai asked.

"We'll play a few sets then Lane and I are going to DJ," Zach put in. "It's gonna be so cool to play with the band again. It's been a while."

"We'd better get going if we are gonna be there on time," Lane prodded Zach. "We need to be at Mama's by eight."

"Otherwise Mrs. Kim will 'crack that whip'!" Lorelai sang. "I'll see you there. Unfortunately I am flying solo tonight."

"Dude, you're not coming to the party?" Zach asked Luke. "Bummer."

"Gonna watch the Series," Luke replied. "Have fun," he said, "but not too much fun though. Remember you're opening with Caesar tomorrow morning."

"I won't forget, boss man," Zach acknowledged jovially as he maneuvered the stroller down the driveway. "Good night!"

"I better get ready too," Lorelai exclaimed. She mounted the steps and pushed the candy dish on Luke. "You're on your own, buddy," she told him.

"Let's just turn out the light," he suggested hopefully.

"Luke," Lorelai admonished. "It won't be for too much longer. I'm sure you can man up and handle it."

"Fine," he said, his last hope dashed. "Go get ready."

As Lorelai hurried upstairs, Luke relaxed on the couch watching the pre-game activities. Every so often he had to answer the door. For Lorelai's sake, he made a valiant attempt to admire the costumes while he handed out the candy. For his own sake, he apologized to the waiting parents for contributing to their children's upcoming dental bills.

Finally the last few stragglers trickled past the house and thankfully it was time that he could legitimately turn off the porch light and enjoy the upcoming game. Luke relaxed on the couch nursing a beer, watching the Phillies and the Yankees go at it for the title. He was completely absorbed in the game by the time Lorelai was finished donning her costume.

"Are you ready?" Lorelai called down the stairs.

"For what?" Luke called back, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"For my grand entrance," she yelled down, as if it were obvious. "The big reveal!"

'Yeah, sure," Luke mumbled back, eyes glued to the TV. He heard her come down the steps but did not look up.

"Well?" she asked after a moment.

"You look great," he commented absently, watching the Yankees score.

"You haven't even looked at me," Lorelai protested. "Look at me!" she demanded.

"Fine," Luke replied as the instant replay came on. "I'm look—" his words trailed off "--ing."

Luke felt extremely warm as his blood rushed suddenly downward. Reflexively he stood up, his eyes now glued to his wife's form. Her lips curved in a knowing smile as his gaze traveled from her head down to her toes and back up again. His mouth dropped open as his eyes reached her face on the way back up.

"What…who…" his tongue was tied and he couldn't get the question out.

"I'm Elvira, Mistress of the Dark," she explained striking a sexy pose, leg bent, hands on her hips.

Luke eyes took inventory of her outfit once again from top to bottom. She had donned a wig that was teased at the top in a bouffant style and hung down long and straight at the sides with bangs that framed her face. She had applied white make-up to her face and all the way down her chest which gave her a ghostly pallor and made her overly generous use of eye shadow, eye liner, blush and lipstick really stand out.

He gulped as he took in the long black dress with its plunging neckline and had to wonder what she had done to get her breasts in position to look so voluptuous, nearly spilling out of the gown. His eyes glazed as they locked onto her cleavage. The wide belt at her waist seemed to be the only thing holding the dress together.

To make matters worse, the slit on the skirt of the dress stopped dangerously high, her fishnet stockings drawing his eyes to her shapely legs and high heels.

"You like?" she asked as she pirouetted in a circle, noting with satisfaction that the baseball game continued on unnoticed by Luke. His full attention was on her.

"You can't go to the party dressed like that!" Luke blurted out.

"Of course I can," Lorelai replied. "I'll be able to walk in these heels."

"You can't go to that party alone!" Luke declared.

"Well, you said you didn't want to go," Lorelai reminded him. She pursed her lips and shook her head. "Too bad you don't have a costume otherwise you could've come with me." She flipped her fake hair and headed out the door before he could get close enough to keep her from leaving.

"Lorelai!" Luke barked. "Wait for me!!"

"No costume, no party. You better not show up without one!" she decreed as she crossed the lawn. She made her way down the driveway. "I'll be out late, so don't wait up!"

Luke stood in the doorway, staring at his wife's retreating form. He saw her join up with Babette and Morey and head towards town. Even from where he was standing he could hear Babette squawking "Va-va-va-voom!" about her costume. He had to physically resist the urge to charge after her into the damned party and bodily carry her out and back into the house. The town gossips there would have a field day over that. Those women talked about everything.

Suddenly Luke remembered there wouldn't just be women at this party. With the way Lorelai was dressed she wouldn't be lacking masculine attention. He felt his blood pressure go up thinking about Bootsie or Andrew ogling her.

Luke slammed the front door, his mind casting about furiously. He would never hear the end of it if he showed up without a costume. Whatever he was going to do, he had to do it fast.

~#~

Hep Alien was in the middle of their first set as Lorelai sipped her drink. She'd made her rounds, carefully avoiding all of the men both single and married trying to get close to her and ended up standing with Sookie and Jackson, the only man she was sure wouldn't hit on her. They were dressed as Jack and Jill swinging a pail between them.

"You could put an eye out with that thing," she commented as the pail swung in a steady arc. "Sookie, you're so cute in your pinafore," Lorelai complimented her. "And Jackson…are those your work overalls?"

"Comfort is important," Jackson chimed in.

"What can I say?" Sookie shrugged, her pigtails swinging to and fro. "He didn't want to dress up."

"Like Luke," Lorelai pointed out.

"You think he'll show?" Sookie questioned.

"Look at me. Of course he'll show," Lorelai assured her. She had complete faith not only in her feminine wiles but Luke's weakness for them. "I want to see what kind of a costume he'll come up with. I made it pretty clear that he had to dress up."

Just then the door to the studio slid open and Luke entered. He scowled as he surveyed the room; his glare lingering on Bootsie, who was trying to look cool, dressed as Elvis before he spied Lorelai. He immediately charged across the room to her side.

"What are you doing here?" Lorelai asked innocently. Sookie and Jackson exchanged a knowing glance and moved off to give them some privacy.

"If you think I'm gonna let you come to one of these crazy town functions, unescorted and dressed like that…" he trailed off and literally growled at Andrew as he paused near them scaring him off.

"But you were supposed to come in costume!" Lorelai protested.

"I am in costume," he countered.

Lorelai eyed him up and down much like he had earlier. He was dressed the same flannel shirt he'd been wearing before but now he'd had it tucked into his jeans. The baseball cap was missing and she couldn't identify what was protruding from his breast pocket. "That is not a costume," she told him.

Just then an amorphous green shape paused beside them. "Lorelai," Kirk nodded, wisely not giving her a second glance. He turned his attention to Luke. It was only then, his eyes popped. "Luke, great costume! It's perfect!"

Lorelai looked at Kirk in bemusement. "Luke's wearing a costume?" she asked. When Kirk bobbed his head yes, causing the top portion of his costume to sway dangerously, she pressed him. "Okay then, what is he?"

Kirk whipped the item from Luke's pocket and shook it out, displaying a paper towel. "He's the Brawny Man!"

Lorelai gaped at Kirk as Luke smirked at her. He made a mental note that Kirk's next meal at the diner would be on the house. Luke smothered his smile as he replied in the same innocent tone she'd used. "See? I am wearing a costume."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at Luke knowing she was bested by a mere technicality. She transferred her gaze to Kirk.

"Kirk what are you supposed to be?" she inquired. Kirk didn't look like anything but a green blob.

Kirk suddenly grew flustered and gestured in frustration, obviously having answered this question before. "I'm Gumby, dammit!" he whined piteously. "I knew I should've had Lulu dress up as Pokey!" He turned and stalked off.

"That is the weirdest looking Gumby I've ever seen," Lorelai admitted. "He looks like a green cloud."

Luke took her arm. "Okay, you had your fun. You got me here. Time to go," he urged.

"Aw, Luke, c'mon!" Lorelai protested. "Can't we stay a little while?" She leaned up against him, watching his gaze drop to her chest. "Please?"

"Lorelai," he said breathlessly. Continued viewing of her dressed so sexily was taking its toll. He was barely maintaining control as it was.

Hep Alien began playing a slow song. "Can't we at least have one dance?" she bargained.

Luke let out an exasperated breath but Lorelai stood her ground. He glowered at her impotently before extending his hand to her.

"Yah," she cheered softly as she put her hand in his and he led her out with the other dancers. She snuggled up close to him as his arms slipped around her waist. They fell into an easy rhythm as them moved in slow circles.

"This isn't so bad, is it?" she whispered.

"Ah…" his eyes dipped to her cleavage again. He tightened his hold on himself and on her as they continued to slowly twirl on the dance floor. She was wearing down his resistance. It took him a few minutes to trust himself to speak. "You dressed like this deliberately to get me to come to this stupid thing."

"Uh huh," Lorelai agreed.

"You knew I wouldn't be able to let you go to this party alone, dressed like this."

"Right again," she said unrepentantly. "Worked like a charm."

"What makes you think I'm not angry about being manipulated like this?" Luke asked.

"Because I dressed like this just for you," she cooed softly in his ear. Luke swallowed, willing certain portions of his body not to react. She waited a beat before adding, "And I'm not wearing any underwear."

"We're leaving," Luke said abruptly as the hot blood surged through his veins. He was going to give the gossips something to talk about after all. He wanted her. He wanted her now. He dropped his arms and grabbing her wrist, he began pulling her quickly through the crowd towards the door.

"Luke!" Lorelai protested shrilly. She struggled to keep up with him. She realized she probably should've waited longer before telling him she'd gone commando. He wasn't even going to give her a chance to say her good-byes.

"Looks like the honeymoon ain't over yet," Miss Patty observed as Luke all but dragged Lorelai past her.

"Have fun, Sugah," Babette called after them.

The crisp evening air did nothing to cool Luke off. He was sorry he hadn't brought the truck to get them home faster. He caught sight of the diner and immediately headed in that direction, Lorelai tottering after him. When he reached the diner door, he jabbed at the lock, driving the key home and in seconds they were in the diner. Luke slammed and locked the door before rushing towards the stairs with Lorelai in tow. He motioned for her to precede him up the steps. As she started up, she felt his hands caress her bottom. She shot him a flirty glance over her shoulder.

They made it to the dimly-lit landing and she leaned up against the door jamb, arching slightly as she waited for him to open up the apartment door. She breathed deeply, her chest rising and falling enticingly. Luke's eyes nearly popped out of his head and his fingers fumbled with the keys, hands shaking. This time he missed the lock and the keys jangled to the floor.

"Whoops," Lorelai said, bringing Luke's full attention back to her. Instead of picking up the keys, he pressed his body into hers, giving her a hot, wet kiss. His hands went to her hips, pulling her tightly against him, letting her feel what she was doing to him.

"Maybe you should have been a devil for Halloween," Lorelai said breathlessly, "because your horns are definitely showing."

"That's because you're driving me crazy," Luke mumbled as he moved to nibble on her neck. His hands moved up to her belt and she felt it give way. He parted the dress to reveal the plunging push-up bra and made a strangled sound. Luke cupped her breasts before burying his face in them.

"Mmmmm," Lorelai purred as the dress was slipped off her shoulders. Her eyes fluttered closed, savoring the feel of his lips and tongue on her sensitive skin.

Luke's hands traveled down to her hips again and he drew back slightly as he touched the garters that held up her stockings. His eyes widened as he realized she'd been telling him the truth: she hadn't worn underwear. Almost reverently, he slipped his fingers into her folds, then delved deeper to brush her opening. Lorelai whimpered in response.

He groaned in frustration as he was scalded by her heat, his own body on the verge of exploding. Luke pawed at the button on his jeans as Lorelai grabbed the flannel and tugged hard, sending buttons flying everywhere. She stripped him of the shirt and managed to pull his t-shirt off before he renewed his struggle to get his zipper down over his now very tight-fitting jeans.

Lorelai heard the metallic sound of his zipper giving way then after a slight flurry of movement the soft flop of his jeans and boxers hitting the floor. Luke caressed her hip, running his palm down her flank, hooking his fingers under her knee to draw her leg up around his waist. He fit his hardened shaft more intimately between her legs before leaning his upper torso away from breasts. Luke locked eyes with her. They were both panting with desire. Slowly, deliberately he ground his lower body against hers.

Lorelai made a primal sound low in her throat as Luke did it again. Her hand slid around his neck, drawing him in for a scorching kiss. Just as their tongues dueled for control, he thrust into her.

Luke's hand was on her other leg, lifting her so she could lock them both around him. He broke the kiss and eased his grip, letting gravity bring her down hard on him.

Lorelai let out a shaky "Oh" as his engorged shaft drove deep. His lips on her neck, his hands massaging her ass, his control snapped and the thrust into her vigorously. The sound of their heavy breathing, punctuated by sighs and moans reverberated around the hallway.

"Lorelai," Luke said in a strangled voice. He felt her inner muscles flexing, caressing his length making him drive into her even faster. "Oh God…I can't…" He lost the battle as he climaxed.

As the first massive spurt surged into her, Lorelai hit her peak as well. "Luke," she called out as the waves of pleasure crashed through her. She clung to him as he continued moving inside her, loving her, giving her everything he had.

Many several sweaty, panting minutes later they both slowed to a stop still tightly clasped in each other's arms. Lorelai hugged him more tightly before raising her hand to cradle the back of Luke's head, his face still buried in her neck. "Mmmm," she murmured appreciatively.

"Mmmm, hmmm," was Luke's muffled response. He drew back to look at her.

The giggle bubbled up before she could stop it. The left side of Luke's face neck and part of his chest was now liberally smeared with her white make-up. At his quizzical look, she explained. "I think I've have to lock up my make-up after this," she said as she ran her finger down his cheek then showed him the white mark.

"Totally worth it," he breathed, causing her to flush with pleasure. Luke gently lifted her off him, both of them groaning as they separated and set her down on wobbly legs before stepping back. He reached down and pulled up on his jeans then reached for the abandoned keys. "C'mon," Luke said as he managed to unlock the door on the second try. He pushed it open and deftly kicked the clothes scattered on the floor inside the apartment. "Let's get cleaned up," he suggested allowing her to precede him into the apartment. "And then maybe we can try that again only this time a little more slowly."

"Ooooh," Lorelai purred at him as she sashayed the way to the bathroom, clad only in a bra, garter belt, stockings and heels. Luke was close behind. "I like the way you think."

They faced each other in the small bathroom. Lorelai reached behind her and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor. She smirked as she noticed Luke's gaze riveted to her naked breasts. Enticingly, she set one foot on the edge of the tub and undid the garter before slowly rolling the stocking down her leg.

"Alright, alright," Luke conceded. "You got me. You had me the second I laid eyes on you in this costume. You got me to go to that stupid party, you had me in the hall and you're going to get me again." He kicked off his own shoes and began to disrobe. "Just jump in the shower and then I intended to make love to you properly."

Lorelai flashed him a bewitching smile before taking off the rest of her clothing. She removed the wig but left her hair up in the tight bun on top of her head. "Let's get cleaned up so we can get dirty."

Lorelai ducked into the shower first, quickly washing her face and rinsing it off. As Luke stepped in behind her, she grabbed the washcloth and squirted some body wash on it and approached Luke. He stood still, his hands lightly resting at her waist as she carefully cleansed his face. He submitted to her ministrations even as she moved to his chest but as she moved lower, he shook his head and took the cloth from her hand then pressed her to the shower wall.

"My turn," he said with a low growl.

Lorelai leaned her head back on the tile as she watched Luke's hands slowly soap up the cloth. Starting at her neck, he gently ran the cloth over her skin. Lorelai's lips curved in a sultry smile, her hands sliding up Luke's arms to knead his shoulders. Luke grasped her fingers with his free hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles before lowering her hand to her side. He leaned in to kiss her lips then returned to his task.

Lorelai closed her eyes as his hands moved lower, savoring the sensations as the washcloth moving in slow circles. When the rough fabric brushed her erect nipples, she let out an involuntary moan, her eyes opening slightly as she watched him, with focused intensity, stimulate her body.

Luke smiled as Lorelai moaned, completely understanding her need and the aching desire behind it, having experienced the same thing just a short while ago. Now that he had been initially sated, he took his time, drawing out their pleasure until the time they had to be joined again. The cloth slipped from his fingers but he continued on fondling her with soapy hands, and she arched her back, her breasts thrusting into his palms.

Lorelai reached for Luke again, this time her goal was much lower but he stepped back out of her reach. "Relax and enjoy this," he whispered hotly in her ear. "The first time was too fast. Let's take this nice and slow."

"Oh god," she groaned, knowing he would drive her insane with desire.

Lorelai bit her lip as his hand moved determinedly down her rib cage, patting and stroking before splaying across her taut belly. She knew he could feel her quivering, unable to still the motion of her body. He caught her gaze and for a long moment her universe was suspended, then his talented fingers worked their way between her folds and brushed her clit.

"Luke," she gasped, both her hands were gripping his shoulders now and he let her, knowing he had her off balance.

After briefly rolling her clit between his thumb and forefinger, he moved his hand away, ignoring her cry of protest and ran his hand down her outer thigh and brought her leg up around his waist, much as he did before.

Lorelai eagerly pressed up against him more than ready for round two as she felt his pulsating shaft lengthwise against her slit. He rotated his hips, coaxing her body to move with him. Just as she thought he was going to enter her, suddenly pulled away.

"Hey!" she protested.

Luke was already guiding her to the spray to rinse the last of the soap off both of them. "We'll get to that in a bit," he promised.

"Why not now?" Lorelai pouted. Luke turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He quickly dried his hair with a bath towel then wrapped it around his waist and tucked it in.

"Let's get comfortable first," Luke replied holding out another towel for her. As she got out of the shower, she released her hair and it tumbled about her shoulders.

"You don't look very comfortable," she motioned to his obvious erection that was tenting the towel.

"I'll manage."

Luke swirled the bath towel around her like a cloak and began vigorously rubbing her arms to dry her off. As he moved to the more sensitive areas of her body, his touch softened and he was again fondling her. Any attempt Lorelai made to touch him was easily deflected. So she had to stand there and submit to his ministrations which had her squirming, near bursting with need for him.

"Is this your twisted idea of Trick or Treat?" she queried, not sure how much longer she could hold out. "All trick and no treat?"

"Okay, okay," Luke finished, carelessly dropping the towel and loosening his so it fell to his feet.

Before Lorelai could reach for him, he swept her up into his arms and carried her out of the bathroom to the bed. She reached down and flung the blankets back and Luke set her in the bed and quickly stretched out beside her.

"Finally we get to more of the good stuff!" she groused at him good-naturedly.

As Luke leaned over to nibble on her neck, she put up a hand to stop him. "Oh no, mister. We've had enough foreplay in the shower and with the towel." She slipped her hand up around his neck and as she drew him down for a kiss, she said in a low voice, "I want you NOW."

Luke grinned at her, his hands spreading her legs and with a quick movement, he was positioned between them. Lorelai reached down, her finger closing around his hardened shaft and urged him forward. As she felt his tip at her entrance she let go of him and he glided into her wetness.

"Yes," she cried out, her legs locking around his hips, her body moving to draw him deeper.

Luke propped himself up on his elbows so he could see her face as he was making love to her. Her eyes sparkled, speaking volumes of her love for him. He thrust into her with increasing passion, picking up the pace until their frantic rhythm finally hurtled them both up and over the edge. Luke finally collapsed on top of her as they panted as one, completely sated and content. Lorelai stroked his back, welcoming his weight, loving these spent moments as they clung to one another and fully appreciated the sweet nectar of their love.

Finally Luke leaned back, his expression relaxed and happy. He tucked her hair behind her ear then slowly eased out of her. She snuggled closer to him as he maneuvered himself onto his back. They both sighed.

"So did you enjoy the party?" she asked impishly as she rose up on an elbow. Her other hand gently stroked his chest.

"Hell, no," came the immediate reply. "The next time you put on a costume like that…"

"Yes?" she asked wondering if he would actually try to forbid her from doing it.

"…it better be in privacy of our bedroom," he finished, casting a leering glance at her.

"Only for you," she agreed. "But I'll have to wear it out in public tomorrow. I don't have any extra clothes here."

"I can run home tomorrow and get you some clothes when we finally decide to leave," he answered.

"Finally?" she queried.

"Well, I'm off tomorrow. You're off tomorrow," he shrugged. "I thought maybe we'd have quality time here since we have nothing planned."

"But I have no clothes."

"Exactly." His eyes sparkled wickedly.

"Why Mr. Danes, are you suggesting we spend the day in bed?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "And if I am?"

"Then I'm all in," she hugged him. "I'm glad you came to the party."

"Got roped into coming to the party," Luke corrected then yawned, "Let's see if you feel that way when the town keeps talking about it for weeks on end."

"You were such a Neanderthal, my Brawny man," she quipped. "You practically dragged me out by my hair.

"Yeah, yeah," Luke grumbled sleepily, "the things you make me do." He relaxed even further, slowly losing his grip on consciousness. "Love you," he said as he drifted off.

"Love you too," Lorelai replied, not sure he even heard her, but his arms tightened around her in response.

Lorelai was still a little too keyed up to sleep. She nuzzled her nose into Luke's chest, comforted by the steady sound of his breathing. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself as she recalled the events of the past evening pleased she had gotten such a rise out of him. He had been so uninhibited, it reminded her of the time after the New York party for the Dragonfly when they both had gotten so drunk—

Lorelai's eyes opened wide. Things had moved so fast tonight, they had thrown caution to the wind and proceeded with all road blocks down. She closed her eyes and sighed. What a difference a couple of years made, she thought. She wasn't at all scared of any consequences from this night, in fact she welcomed them. And tomorrow, well, if Luke chose to forget about road blocks, she'd be content to forget about them too.

Lorelai fell asleep, a smile of contentment on her face.


End file.
